Verrucas are infectious because they are caused by the wart virus (medically called HPV or human papilloma virus). If caught early, verrucas can be treated by simple techniques, often bought over the counter at chemists. These treatments often contain a mild acid or another chemical, toxic to the verruca.

However, a certain number of patients have verrucas that are very resistant to treatment. Some of these have been treated in the past by liquid nitrogen (freezing). More recently, laser has been used to remove these resistant verrucas. The advantage with the laser is that it completely destroys the verruca and also the human papilloma virus. Unfortunately, treatment with the laser can be very painful. We have found that we have had to use special anaesthetic treatments to numb the whole of the foot to make the treatment bearable. In some cases, more than one treatment is needed.

Elizabeth Smith is an expert podiatrist who has a practice at The Whiteley Clinic in Guildford. She has published a research paper on laser treatment of verrucas and the use of local anaesthetic (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24910163). She and her colleague, Dr Prasanna Lingham (https://absoluteaesthetics.co.uk/team/) both offer plasma verruca treatment at The Whiteley Clinic and Absolute Aesthetics in Guildford.

Plasma verruca treatment by Elizabeth Smith – Virtually painless due to vapourisation of tissue by plasma without heat spreading

What is plasma verruca treatment?

Plasma verruca treatment is a completely new way of treating verrucas. Whereas acid burns a verruca chemically, and both liquid nitrogen and laser destroy a verruca with thermal energy, plasma works completely differently.

Using a technology developed by PLEXR, plasma is generated at the tip of a needle. The easiest way to think of plasma is the fourth state of matter. First, there is solid and when this is heated it becomes liquid. When liquid is heated it becomes a gas. When gas is heated, it becomes plasma. If you look up into the sky at night and see stars, they are mainly made of plasma.

Plasma can be made in incredibly small areas such as on the point of a needle. This is done in plasma verruca treatment, with the point of the needle held just above the verruca. The plasma vaporises the verruca tissue. This vaporisation is so quick, it is rarely felt by the patient.

As such, our early experience of plasma verruca treatment has shown that small verrucas are usually treated with one treatment whereas large brokers that have been present for some time may take two or three treatments. However, there is rarely any discomfort at all.

Testimonial on plasma verruca treatment:

“I am a 55-year-old man who has had a verruca for three years on my right foot and recently developed a second verruca on my left. None of the simple over-the-counter treatments worked. One year ago I tried laser treatment for my verruca but found it too painful to bear. I also tried liquid nitrogen, but this did not get rid of the verruca. I had given up finding a cure. Then I heard about plasma verruca treatment. Liz Smith used and instrument to remove the dead skin over the verruca and then used the plasma instrument on both of my verrucas. I didn’t need any anaesthetic at all and only felt one twinge during the whole of the treatment. The small verruca disappeared with one treatment and the larger verruca is well on its way to disappearing.” M.W. Jan 2018

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